Venetian blind



Nov. 6, 1951 H. w. FERGUSON ET AL VENETIAN BLIND Filed May 11, 1949 IN VEN TOR. HAROLD If! FERGUSGN SOL SCHWARTZ ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 6, 1951 2,573,700 VENETIAN BLIND Harold W. Ferguson and S01 Schwartz, Bochester, N. Y.

Application May '11, 1949, Serial No. 92,679

. Qlaims. (01. 160-173) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and, more particularly, to the variety employing ladder tapes each comprising a pair of side tapes connected by superposed cross or rung tapes on which the slats of the blind are tiltably supported, one object of the invention being to provide an improved blind of this character having a more practical and convenient construction.

Another object is to provide such a blind having slats so constructed as to be readily detachable for cleaning, replacement and the like, but provided with means for Securely retainin the slats in position against inadvertent displacement. 7 7

Another object is to provide an improved Venetian blind slat of a detachable nature comprisin means for preventing inadvertent detachment and adapted for application to Venetian blinds of known construction.

A further object is the provision of such a blind slat having the above advantages and capable of being manufactured at relatively low cost.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the nove1 features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away,

showing the connection :of "the latter to across tape, and

Fig. 6 is a view :similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified construction.

The invention is embodied in the present instance, by way of illustration, in a Venetianiblind comprising a spaced pair of ladder tapes, indicated generally at H1 and H, .and both'having the same'construc'tion comprising a pair .ofopnositely spaced side tapes, as 12 and f3. *These side tapes have their upper ends tacked or otherwise fixed, as at I4, to a tilting bar l5 having end trunnions, as I6, which are tiltably supported in a head casing (not shown), of any known or suitable construction, as well understood in the art. The lower ends of the side tapes are fixed to a bottom bar I! and the latter has fixed thereto also the lower ends of a pair of elevatin cords, l8 and i9. Any known and suitable means is employed for tilting the bar l5 to effect relative tilting movement of the side tapes and slats it, as shown in Fig. 4, and also for raising the elevating cords l8 and [9 to elevate the bottom bar I1 and progressively raise and collapse the slats into small space at the head board, as well understood in the art.

Each pair of ladder tapes has its side tapes connected by superposed cross or rung tapes, as 2D and 2|, each rung tape having its ends woven to the side tapes, respectively, and extending horizontally therebetween. The rung tapes are preferably arranged at alternate sides oi the side tapes, as shown, and as well understood in the art, and each slat is laid on and supported by rung tapes .of the same elevation in the spaced pairs of ladder tapes ID and II, as usual in such blinds.

In order that the slats may be detachable, the liftin cords I8 and I9 are arranged toextend vertically outsideof the tilt board, bottom board and slats which are preferably provided with notches in their edges to accommodate the cords, as shown in the slats =at v22'. The cords are also preferably arranged-inside the adjacent side tapes of the ladder tapes, respectively, so as to be concealed from view to enhance the appearance of the blind. The slats are thus left free of the cords and are provided with means for cooperation with the rung tapes of the ladder tapes for 'detachably retaining the slats against inadvertent removal, as will now be described. v I 'To this end, each slat is formed on at leas one side edge at one end with a recess 23 extending inwardly from the sideedge for receivingthe rung tape. This recess has a bottom portion 24 of substantially the width .of the rung tape and hasa reduced entrance '25 of a width substantially less thanthat of, the rung tape for retaining the latter in the recess. This recess is preferably of dovetail shape, as shown, although its shape is subject to some variation without departing f om h r i cipl n o ved An t er p t n f ature o the r ses is that i s sid s. as 2.6 l e i the face oi t e slat. at ea at the oute e e thereof, as'z'l, which liein the prolongation of the straight side edge 28 of the slat.

In placing the slat in the blind, the rung tape may be folded into substantially U-shape to reduce its width and inserted through the en-' assisted by its inclined sides 26, but it is evident from this construction that, without being intentionally folded, the tape is retained in fiat condition by the straight edges 24 and 21 so as to securely hold the slat in place.

It has been found that the above described en gagement between the slat and rung tape is 'ef-' fective to such a degree that engagement as described at a single point of the slat is normally sufficient to retain the slat in place in the blind but, if desired, the slat may be provided with similar engagement at each end with a rung tape of each ladder tape. Where but one such engagement is employed, the opposite edge of the slot is preferably formed with a recess 29 (Fig. 2) having an entrance 30 of unrestricted width so as to freely admit and release the rung tapes, the inner edge of this recess being notched at 22 as described above to clear the lifting cord 19. Since the rung tapes in each ladder tape are arranged in staggered relation, each slat is formed with a pair of adjacent recesses 23 so that any slat may be inserted in any position in the blind for cooperation with the rung tapes at such position, and the recess 29 is made long enough to accommodate any of the staggered rung tapes.

When a locking recess 23, is employed for holding one end only of a slat, the other end may be constructed as shown in Fig. 3 with an unrestricted recess 3|, like the recess 29, and the opposite edge may be provided with a pair of unrestricted recesses, 32 and 33, for the staggered rung tapes.

A modified construction is shown in Fig. 6 in which the slat is formed with locking recesses 3-4 constructed like the recesses 23, but the opposite edge is formed with a similar recess 29 but having its ends formed with a restricting portion 36 similar to one side of the recess 34. The tape is threaded through this recess so as to bear against the straight bottom edge and the straight outer edge of the restricting portion 36, to hold the tape in flat interlocking engagement with the end of the recess 35 and thus holdboth edges of the slat against being lifted away from the rung tape.

It is evident from the above description that the invention provides a blind having slats which may be readily inserted in and removed from the ladder tapes while having such an engagement with the rung tapes as to hold the slats securely against inadvertent detachment by contact with other objects, air currents, or the like. By means of this construction, the slats are so disposed that they may be readily removed for cleaning, re-

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects and while it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense, as it is contemplated that various other modifications in the construction and arrangement of theparts will readily occur to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

.We claim:

1. A Venetian blind slat for use with ladder tapes of the type having a pair of relatively wide upright tape members and relatively narrow rung tape members extending crosswise from one of the upright tape members to the other thereof, alternate-ones of the rung tape members be- 7 ing near the right hand edges of the upright tape members and intermediate ones of the rung tape members being near the left hand edges of the upright tape members, said slat having at one of its edges two recesses spaced from each other in a direction along the edge, one of said recesses being in alinement with one set of rung tape members and the other of said recesses being in alinement with the other set of rung tape members when the slat is normally assembled with a ladder tape, each of said recesses being of undercut dovetailed form to provide at the inner edge of the recess a space sufliciently wide to accommodate the entire width of a rung tape and to provide an entrance opening substantially narrower than the width of a rung tape, said slat also having at its opposite edge, substantially directly across from said two recesses, a single large recess having a length along the edge of the slat equal approximately to the combined length of the two recesses on the first edge of the slat plus the distance intervening between the tworecesses, said large recess being of a size to accommodate a rung tape of either set when the slat is normally assembled with a ladder tape.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, in which said slat furtherincludes a notch formed in the inner edge of said large recess approximately midway of the length thereof, said notch being arranged to receive a supporting rope when said slat is normally assembled with a ladder tape and supporting rope.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2, in which said large recess is of dovetailed form at both ends to provide an undercut portion for receiving one edge of a rung tape when said slat is normally assembled with a ladder tape and supporting rope, and in which said supporting rope when received in said notch tends to resist lateral displacement of the rung tape from the undercut portion of said large recess.

HAROLD W. FERGUSON. SOL SCHWARTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,170,938 Carreras et al Aug. 29, 1939 2,307,278 Krantz Jan. 5, 1943 2,311,716 Walker Feb. 23, 1943 2,401,283 Williams May 28, 1946 2,495,973 Jones Jan. 31, 1950 

